India has made the decision to fence the entire 1,643-kilometer-long border with Myanmar, as announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. This move is expected to effectively end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) that is currently prevalent along the porous border, allowing people residing near the border to cross 16 kilometers into each other’s territory without documentation.
The decision to fence the India-Myanmar border comes after persistent demands from Meitei groups based in the Imphal Valley, alleging that tribal militants frequently enter India through the unfenced border, along with smuggling of narcotics. The Narendra Modi government, committed to bolstering border security, aims to construct a fence along the entire border and pave a patrol track for enhanced surveillance, as stated by Shah.
Currently, efforts are underway to fence a 10-kilometer stretch of the border in Moreh, Manipur, with additional pilot projects initiated in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur to implement fencing through a hybrid surveillance system. The move is crucial for states like Manipur and Mizoram, which have experienced security challenges due to influxes of refugees and sporadic violence, necessitating strategic measures to foster peace and stability in the region.
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